DT launches installation of charging network for e-cars

11-05-2018 Nicole Schmidt

• Existing telecoms infrastructure being upgraded to create nationwide charging network
• First publicly accessible charging stations commissioned
• Concurrent upgrade of fastest urban charging options currently available for e-cars in Germany

A successful launch: Deutsche Telekom has commissioned the company's first public e-car charging stations in Bonn and Darmstadt. They represent the first step in building a nationwide network with public charging stations for e-cars. To do so, Deutsche Telekom is upgrading parts of its existing telecommunications infrastructure to become charging stations.

The lynchpin of these upgrades is the cable distribution boxes used for fixed-network and internet connections: the "gray boxes" at the roadside will get separate power supplies and digital metering points. This sustainable use of existing infrastructure will help avoid additional structures in the cityscape. Each charging station can supply two vehicles with 11 kW each through type-2 charging plugs. The "destination charging points" will supply enough power in one hour for a range of 50-75 kilometers – depending on the vehicle type. The electricity used for charging comes from renewable energy sources.

"For Darmstadt, the commissioning of the three inner-city charging stations is another important milestone in our evolution into a model digital city," said Darmstadt's mayor Jochen Partsch. "In particular, the combination of digitalization and electromobility will up new possibilities for organizing urban traffic more intelligently, more effectively, and more climate-friendly."

Germany's fastest urban charging possibilities

Deutsche Telekom celebrated a double premiere in Bonn: it commissioned the first upgraded charging station here, which is also the network's first fast-charging station.

"The charging capacities of most e-cars are currently only enough for normal charging, but we will continue to add fast-charging points to our nationwide charging network and are already building the infrastructure for tomorrow," said Bruno Jacobfeuerborn, Managing Director of DFMG Deutsche Funkturm GmbH and Comfort Charge GmbH. Some 500 fast-charging stations are planned for the next three years in parallel to the destination charging stations. They will be operated independently of the existing telecommunications infrastructure. They offer users up to 150 kW, enabling a vehicle to charge with enough electricity for around 100 km of range in just ten minutes. That's the fastest charging option currently available for e-cars in German cities.